by Hannah Wick
I punched him square in the throat before he could finish. He coughed and spluttered, clutching his neck with both hands.
“On second thoughts, I think you’ve said enough.”
While he was gasping for breath, I went back to clawing at the roots. I had to get out of here before he got his breath back, or I was finished.
They didn’t budge. Devron’s lips curved into a smile as he saw my predicament, and he lifted the amulet again. Panic flooded me. The next words he spoke were going to kill me.
“Lumen Daricum!” I shouted – the first spell that came to mind.. Light blasted out of my hands, and he stumbled back with a scream – hopefully seeing nothing but stars.
I took a breath and forced myself to calm down. Think, dammit Kiera, think! Wait. The other root let me go when I hit it with the lightning. It was susceptible to heat. Of course it was, it was a damned tree root! I placed both of my hands against the thickest part of the root, gripping it tightly.
“Infurno!”
Smoke rose from the plant, then it burst into flames and fell to the floor, twisting in a facsimile of pain. I jerked my eyes away from it in time to see Devron stepping towards me again, his lip curling into a snarl.
“Do you really think that you can stop me from saving her by taking away my sight?” he demanded. “It’s going to take a lot more than that.”
Yeah, I was starting to get that. This would be a really, really good time to get the hell out of here.
“Stop fighting me,” he said, “and I’ll make it quick.”
“Never going to happen.” I’d only just started living my life after all those years in solitude. There was no way I was giving it up without a fight. Not that I had a single clue how I was supposed to do that… and Devron didn’t look like he planned on giving me time to figure it out.
“Fine.” His mouth curled into something too menacing to be a smile. “Tremebundus.”
The ground shook beneath my feet, and my legs slipped from under me, sending me crashing to the floor. I smashed my head against an exposed tree root, and a searing pain shot through it. I gripped it with one hand, and my fingers came away slick with blood. The world spun around me. I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on. I knew it wouldn't be for very long.
Wait. The roots. What was that spell he’d done earlier?
“Ventus et involvent!” I shouted, my voice ragged with pain.
Roots leapt up from the ground, reaching for his legs.
“Infurno,” he said calmly. The roots caught fire, burning to ash in seconds. “Seems that you’re out of spells. And soon, it will be over.”
He sauntered towards me, the amulet dangling from one hand. He should have known better than to approach downed and wounded prey.
As he stepped in range, I lifted one leg and slammed my foot into the side of his knee. He roared in pain and staggered back, and I forced myself up, swaying on my feet. He lunged for me and I stepped back, but not fast enough. His fist landed on the side of my bloodied head, throwing me to the ground again, and I knew this time, I wouldn’t have the strength to get up again. My friends had been right. I should have listened to them. And now, instead of saving them, I had condemned them all.
Devron hobbled forward, and dropped into the dirt beside me. He jammed the amulet against my chest with one hand, and the other wrapped around my throat, squeezing the life from me.
No! Some distant part of my brain screamed out. Not like this. Not without so much as whimper. I had to stop him, I had to do something, anything. I forced one hand to move from the mud and slapped it down over his, pinning the amulet even tighter to my chest. Confusion flashed across Devron’s face, but I didn’t give him time to work it out. I curled my lips into a snarl and used my last breath to spit the spell no-one should ever use.
“Enchantio absorbulite.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
As I laid on the bed, watching the healers tended to the weak and injured, I was left to my own devices. I’d been given strict orders to stay put. I sighed and rolled over, turning away from the nearby window with the sun beaming through it. I noticed a cup sitting on the shelf and frowned. I had been so busy feeling sorry for myself, I hadn’t spotted the cup of coffee. I would normally have at least smelled it. I sat up and grabbed the cup. It was still warm. I frowned, looking at the pink water. Not coffee. It wasn’t even tea–at least, not the tea I usually drank. “What is this?” I asked.
Healer Alice glanced in my direction with a smile. “It’s tea.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Tea? It doesn’t look like tea.”
“It’s rose tea. It boosts immunity and helps your body to relax. Try it.”
I wrinkled my nose, and took a small sip. “Mmm,” I said. “You can really taste the rose.”
“Funny,” she retorted with a small smile.
“Problem?” a voice asked, coming from the doorway. I looked to the other side of the room, watching as the dean walked in.
“Uh, no.” I straightened in my bed, setting the cup aside. If the dean was here… I didn’t want to think about what was coming next.
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better, Dean Crystal,” I said. “The healers say I can leave soon.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” she replied. She twisted the seat beside the bed to face me, and sat down with a heavy sigh.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“We need to talk.”
I did not like the sound of that. I closed my eyes, bracing myself. It wasn’t like I hadn’t known this was coming. I’d just wanted to pretend it wasn’t for a little longer.
“Just get it over with,” I said.
“Get what over with?” She sounded confused.
“You’re going to expel me. I know I broke a dozen rules going after Devron alone, and using the amulet against him. So, just get it over with.”
“What? Oh… Yes, that was reckless on a whole new level. But no, I’m not going to expel you.”
“You’re not?” Now I was confused. “Then… what’s going on? Oh my god, it’s Devron isn’t it– I killed him.”
“No, no. He had so much stolen magic in his system, the amulet only weakened him. When the authorities arrived, he was unconscious, but alive. You have your friends to thank, for raising the alarm so quickly. Had they not… I’m sure it would have been a different scene the authorities discovered. You are very lucky to be alive. Devron has been arrested and will be facing a trial over the summer.”
“And…” I wasn’t sure I should push my luck, but I needed to hear it again. Just to be sure. “You’re not expelling me for going after him? And I’m not in trouble with the authorities?”
“No.” She moved her chair closer to my bed. “That’s not what I am here to talk to you about.”
“Oh?”
“It has come to my attention that your storm magic was triggered during the fight.”
I swallowed hard. “How… how do you know about that?”
“I told you at the beginning of the year that I’d be keeping a close eye on you. When you came into my office on your first day.”
I nodded. “But you weren’t at the fight. How could you have possibly known about the lightning–I didn’t even know what it was at first.”
“I’ve been around a long time. I have my ways.”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen,” I said, trying to explain. “It just... came out.”
“I know, and that’s part of the problem. I’m not blaming you. Storm magic is extremely difficult. It’s notoriously complex and almost impossible to control when it first appears. I’m surprised you held on for so long, and controlled it so well.”
“How do you mean, notoriously difficult?”
“Most of the witches with storm magic have very little control for the first few years. Burning down buildings is not uncommon. But you didn’t. Like I said, impressive.”
“Uh, thanks. But I’m still not sure how I did it.”
�
�Regardless, I expect great things from you, Kiera.”
I really wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Uh… thanks?”
She indulged me with a smile, and rose to her feet.
“So, that’s it?” I asked, not quite allowing myself a sigh of relief.
“Yes, for now. You should go to the main hall, if you’re feeling up to it. The exam results are being given out shortly. You won’t want to miss it.”
“I’ll be there.”
*
True to my word, less than an hour later I’d convinced the healers that I could be trusted to stay alive outside of their watchful eyes (though, granted, they hadn’t seemed that convinced… and it was hard to blame them, given my track record) and I hurried into the main hall in time to see most of the student body spread out between the various tables.
“Kiera, over here!” a voice called out, and I scanned the faces until I saw Cassandra waving a hand in the air. I made my way over and found her sitting at a table with Rose, Sally, and Danny. I grabbed a chair, and no sooner had I settled into it than I found an envelope thrust into my hands.
“I grabbed it while I was getting mine,” Cassandra said, gesturing to the unopened envelope in front of her. “Our results.”
I ignored it for the moment, and wrapped an arm around her in a hug.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“You’re okay,” I said. “After the ghost got you....” I trailed off, and turned to Danny, who was busy studying the backs of his hands and looking distinctly uncomfortable. As if I, of all people, would hold someone’s parent’s actions against them. “You saved the day, you know,” I told him. “If you didn’t go for help when you did, I’d be toast.”
A shy smile snuck onto his face, and he lifted his eyes a fraction.
“Yeah, yeah,” Rose said. “Everyone’s a hero. Are we going to open these results, or sit here staring at them all day?”
“I think I’d rather stare,” Sally said. “I’m not sure I’m going to like what’s inside.”
I had to agree with her on that one.
Danny frowned, not taking his eyes off me. “What did the dean want from you?”
“Nothing much,” I replied. I didn’t really want to get into it. “I’ll talk to you all about it later.”
“Later?” Cassandra said, her eyes snapping from her envelope to me. “Is something wrong?”
I shook my head. “Seriously guys, it’s nothing. I just want to get my head wrapped around it first.”
“All right,” Danny said, but the look in his eyes told me he wasn’t going to let it drop. I turned my attention back to my envelope, looking for a distraction.
“Just rip it open, like a band-aid,” Cassandra said, leaning over.
I nodded, and pushed my fingers into the small slit at the top of the opening. I swallowed hard. Just rip it. Easy.
Except it wasn’t.
Come on, Kiera. You survived a murderous rogue witch. This is just an envelope.
I tore open the paper and pulled out a small folded sheet. Carefully, with my hands still trembling, I peered down at the printed results, holding my breath.
“I can’t believe it…” I exhaled, almost dizzy.
“Why? What’s wrong? You didn’t fail, did you?”
I shook my head, amazed. “No. I… I passed. I actually passed!”
Rose looked down at her results, and her mouth dropped open.
Cassandra screamed, throwing her arms in the air. “Yes!”
“Hey, I passed too!” Danny grinned.
“Well, I knew you would,” I said with a chuckle.
“I’m glad somebody did,” he said. “I can hardly believe it myself.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” I said, toying with my results sheet. “But… do you ever feel like we should be learning, you know… more?”
“What, you mean like other random spells?”
“Yeah. Some of the stuff Devron knew…” I looked round their faces. “It was scary. And I had no defence. And no way to protect any of you.”
The five of us sat in silence, mulling it over. Danny was first to break the silence.
“So, what did the dean want?”
“Why?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. “Why do you want to know so badly?”
“Because you’re my friend and I’m worried about you.”
The tension dropped out of me, and I gave him a small smile. It was going to be a while until my trust issues were under control, but being around these four would go a long way to helping.
“All right. She came to give me a warning, and told me about this magic that I have. Storm magic. That I have the lightning type. She was telling me how dangerous it is. Like I needed anything else to be worried about.”
“I’m not worried,” he said.
“You’re not?”
“Of course not.” He learned across the table to me. “Kiera, look at everything you’ve survived, everything you’ve been through. You could have turned out like Devron. You had as much reason to, as he did. More, even. But instead, you’re sitting here, worrying about protecting other people. You’re not dangerous. You’re my friend.”
I leaned back in my chair, turning his words over in my head until a smile spread across my lips. Maybe he was right. Maybe the part of me that wanted to do good would be strong enough to control this storm magic. Maybe being surrounded by people I cared about, who cared about me, was all it would take to keep control.
I’d lost count of how many times I nearly died this year. Because of Devron, because of the ghost. And this was just my first year. With everything that had gone wrong—and gone crazy—I wondered what next semester would bring. One thing was sure, though. With my newfound friends, for the first time in my life, I wouldn’t be facing it alone.
A note from the author
I hope you enjoyed Kiera’s first year at Aurora Academy. She and the rest of the gang will be back soon in Shadow Magic, book two in the Aurora Academy series.
If you enjoyed this book, I’d be really grateful if you would take a moment to leave me a review to help other readers find and enjoy it, too.
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